Hatchet, Screwdriver Threats

OCEAN CITY – Two men were arrested on assault and deadly weapons charges last weekend after confronting another pair of men with a hatchet and a screwdriver during an altercation.

Shortly after 2 a.m. last Friday, an Ocean City police officer responded to the area of 34th Street for a reported assault that had just occurred. Upon arrival, the officer met with two male complainants who told police they were sitting at a red signal at 33rd Street when a late model blue truck pulled up along side of them. The occupants of the truck, later identified as Calvin G. Bratten, 21, of Salisbury, who was driving, and Michael Joseph Allison, 44, of Ocean City, who was the passenger, began yelling something at the two complainants in the vehicle along side them.

The two victims told police they weren’t certain what or why Bratten and Allison were yelling at them. The two victims continued through the light and Bratten and Allison followed in their truck. The two victims pulled over and parked in the area of 34th Street and the two suspects followed, also parked and got out.

One victim said Bratten got out of the truck with a screwdriver in his hand and began approaching him at a fast pace. The victim told police Bratten said, “get back in the car if you don’t want no problems.” Bratten allegedly continued to threaten the victim as he came toward him, but eventually threw the screwdriver down as he got closer.

Meanwhile, Allison got out of the passenger side of the truck and approached the other victim with a hatchet in his hand. According to the victim, Allison held the hatchet in his hand over his head as he approached him and said “get back in the [expletive deleted] car or I’m going to kick your {expletive deleted].” The victim said he continued to back away from Allison, who he believed was going to strike him with the hatchet.

Bratten and Allison eventually left the scene without further incident. An independent witness on the scene was interviewed and corroborated the victims’ stories. A short time later, the officer on the scene learned a different officer had pulled over a truck at 64th Street with the occupants matching the description of Bratten and Allison. The two victims along with the independent witness followed the officer to 64th Street where they identified Bratten and Allison as the suspects. Bratten confirmed the screwdriver left at the scene belonged to him, but said it must have fallen out of his truck.

Bratten was charged with carrying a deadly weapon with intent to injure and attempted second-degree assault and was initially ordered held on a $15,000 bond before being released. Allison was charged with attempted first- and second-degree assault and carrying a deadly weapon with intent to injure and was briefly held on a $25,000 bond before being released.

Fighting Cops

OCEAN CITY – An Ocean City man was arrested on assault and numerous other charges last weekend after first fighting with cops and later flooding his holding cell at police headquarters.

Around 12:30 a.m. last Sunday, an OCPD bicycle officer on routine patrol in the area of a downtown underage nightclub observed a vehicle driven by a man later identified as Michael V. Rayne, 21, of Ocean City, pull into the street in front of club and stop, blocking traffic behind him. Club staffers told Rayne to move his vehicle out of the way, but he refused to comply. After watching the scene unfold, the OCPD officer also told Rayne to move the vehicle and continued to disobey the lawful order.

Finally, the officer told Rayne to pull forward so he could conduct a traffic stop and the suspect pulled into a nearby parking lot and put the vehicle in park. However, Rayne then got out of the vehicle and started to walk away. The officer commanded Rayne to get back in his vehicle while he conducted the traffic stop, but Rayne refused the command. When ordered to stop, Rayne allegedly told police “it’s not my car,” and “I wasn’t driving.”

The initial officer called for backup because he noticed Rayne taking an aggressive stance as if he wanted to fight. Meanwhile, his actions caused a crowd of 20-30 onlookers to gather around. Rayne then threw his baseball cap on the ground and tensed his upper body, forming his hands into clenched fists and taking an aggressive fighting stance toward the officer, according to police reports on the incident.

A second officer arrived along with his K-9 partner and also ordered Rayne onto the ground, but the suspect refused to comply. Finally, Rayne did comply and was handcuffed, but he did not stop his aggression toward the OCPD officers, according to police reports. Once cuffed, Rayne reported began flailing his arms and kicking with both legs. Despite orders to calm down, Rayne continued to fight with the officers and spit on one of the officer’s legs before a third officer placed a violent person restraint on him.

Rayne was ultimately transported for processing to police headquarters, where it was learned he was driving on a revoked license. While in a temporary holding area at police headquarters, Rayne reportedly continued his aggressive behavior, striking his cell door, the walls and the fixed bed. He then proceeded to overflow the toilet in his cell, causing water to overflow from the basin onto the floor of his cell and into the entire male holding facility. The damage to the cell and holding area is estimated at over $500.

Rayne was ultimately charged with three counts of second-degree assault, disorderly conduct, failure to obey a lawful order, resisting and interfering with an arrest, malicious destruction of property and driving on a revoked license.

Graffiti Leads To Drug Arrest

OCEAN CITY – A Grasonville, Md. man was arrested on malicious destruction and drug charges last weekend after first getting caught writing his initials on several pieces of private property and later being found with cocaine and pills in his vehicle.

Around 8:22 a.m. last Sunday, an OCPD officer responded to the area of 15th Street for a reported malicious destruction of property. Upon arrival, the officer met with a witness who said a suspect, later identified as Derek Michael Sharp, write on several trashcans in the area with a black marker. A short time later, another officer picked up Sharp and his female companion in the area of 53rd Street.

While the initial officer was talking to the witness, another witness, an employee of Coldwell Banker, arrived and told police she witnessed the same man write graffiti on her company’s sign with a black marker. The witness told police the suspect had written the same “DMK” logo on the sign as he had written on the trashcans. Sharp was then arrested and charged with malicious destruction of property. He denied writing any graffiti although he did have a black marker in his front pants pocket and black marker stains on his hands.

Sharp’s female companion told police she was with him when he wrote on the trashcans and the sign, and also told police Sharp had written on a wooden barricade in the median of Coastal Highway. A check of the area revealed the same “DMK” markings on the highway barrier.

After Sharp was arrested on malicious destruction charges, police received information about possible drug activity at his residence on 54th Street nearby. Police responded to the area and arrested a suspect later identified as Bradford Schwab for possession of cocaine. During an interview with the suspect, Schwab gave police very specific information about the existence of more drugs in Sharp’s vehicle including the exact location.

Sharp consented to a search of his vehicle, where police found clonazepam pills and a marijuana joint in a backpack in the rear passenger seat of the vehicle. Sharp was ultimately charged with three counts of malicious destruction of property and two counts of drug possession.

Suspended Sentence In Sex Case

SNOW HILL – An Ocean City man arrested on rape and assault charges in December after admitting to police he had sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl on multiple occasions over the year prior appeared in court last week for the second of two trials connected to the charges and pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree sex offense and was sentenced to a year in jail, all of which was suspended in favor of a fine and probation.

Christopher Michael Shockley, 20, of Ocean City, appeared in Circuit Court last week to face multiple charges in the second phase of the case against him from an alleged sexual assault on the 13-year-old girl in November 2007. Shockley pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree sex offense and was sentenced to a year in jail, all of which was suspended but the time he spent in jail awaiting trial. He was also fined $500 and placed on probation for two years.

On Nov. 30, 2007, Ocean City police arrested Shockley for outstanding warrants related to a malicious destruction of property case dating back to July. While being interviewed, Shockley allegedly made statements to OCPD officers regarding sexual conduct with a juvenile that occurred in both Ocean City and Berlin over a year ago.

Based on that information, Berlin Police also interviewed Shockley at which time he admitted to having sexual intercourse with a juvenile female behind the Food Lion in Berlin during November 2007. The investigation revealed the victim was 13 years old at the time, while the suspect was 18. Subsequently, Shockley was charged with second-degree rape, a third- and fourth-degree sex offense and first- and second-degree assault.

In the first phase of the case that went to trial last month, Shockley also pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree sex offense and was sentenced to a year in jail with all but the time he already served awaiting trial suspended. He was fined $500 and placed on probation for two years.

Disorderly Conduct Nets Six Months

SNOW HILL – A Snow Hill man arrested along with his girlfriend on various charges last May while riding their bicycles in the county seat pleaded guilty last week in Circuit Court to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to six months in jail.

Around 5 p.m. on May 5, Maryland State Police troopers assigned to the Shore Criminal Observation Uniform Team (SCOUT) stopped two people on bicycles on Market Street in Snow Hill for traffic violations. Background checks on the suspects revealed one of them, Kenneth Foreman, 18, of Snow Hill, was wanted by the Somerset County Circuit Court and he was taken into custody.

Meanwhile, Foreman’s 15-year-old girlfriend began screaming profanities and refused to obey police orders to stay away from the prisoner. The girl was ultimately arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, failure to obey a lawful order and hindering before being released to the custody of her mother. Foreman was held on the circuit court bench warrant from Somerset and was transported to that county’s jail. He was later charged with disorderly conduct in Worcester County for his actions on May 5. Last week, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to six months in jail.

Lightning Sparks Fires

WHALEYVILLE – Monday’s fierce storms triggered two separate shed fires in Whaleyville both of which have been attributed to lightning strikes.

The first shed fire occurred at a residence on Sheppard’s Crossing Road in Whaleyville around 10:15 a.m. on Monday. The fire was quickly extinguished by the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department although crews remained on the scene for around 20 minutes.

The second shed fire occurred about an hour later at a residence on Peerless Road in Whaleyville, which was also attributed to a lightning strike. Firefighters from Berlin and Showell quickly put out the fire but remained on the scene for about an hour.

Featured Stories

BERLIN – Following opposition from the public to proposed tattoo shop regulations, the Berlin Town Council passed a 120-day moratorium to provide time for a committee to put together a less “draconian” ordinance. On Monday, as officials were set to consider an emergency ordinance to regulate tattoo shops within the town, they instead voted unanimously… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — Aside from the obvious steady roar of engines and traffic tie-ups at certain times, Delmarva Bike Week was relatively calm, although there were a handful of serious and even fatal accidents involving motorcycles away from the sanctioned events. Statistically speaking, the 2017 Delmarva Bike Week and OC Bikefest events held in and… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — Resort planners this week approved a five-story mixed-use project on a prominent downtown street corner that could become the “poster child” for seasonal employee housing. The Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday approved the significant redevelopment of the existing Alibi Room property on the corner of Baltimore Avenue and Wicomico Street. The… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — The seemingly innocuous approval of two popular special events this week turned into a larger, often tense, debate about the town’s commitment to rebranding its image and the morale of its police force. Included on the Mayor and Council’s consent agenda on Monday was a request to renew date holds on the… Read more »